Honest striker Wyness gives his 'goal' to Webster

ALAN PATTULLO

HEARTS manager John Robertson has only been in the job a week and already he has led his side to Hampden. Although the League Cup has been robbed of much of its glory since he was a player Robertson can still reflect with satisfaction on the financial implications for his side who defeated Dunfermline 3-1 at East End Park last night. They now await a date at Hampden Park in the new year and the revenue which comes from the pooled receipts from both semi-final ties.

Robertson hailed his side for negotiating a third tough game in six days and singled out striker Dennis Wyness for praise. Robertson declared on Monday that Wyness would be given every chance to impress after an underwhelming start to a Hearts career spent mostly on the bench. He was given a rare start last night and re-paid his manager with a performance which contained enough flashes of his old Inverness Caledonian Thistle self to suggest he might yet become a pivotal player at Tynecastle.

The suspicion that he is simply too nice to excel in the exacting world of top-level Scottish football was, however, strengthened by his post-match acknowledgement that Andy Webster’s header had already crossed the line for Hearts’ first goal before he helped it into the back of the net. It certainly wasn’t something his goal- hungry manager would have owned up to in his days as a free-scoring striker at Tynecastle.

"He’s much more honest than I ever was," said Robertson afterwards. "He said in the dressing room that Andy’s header had already gone in when he got to it. But, never mind that, we saw the real Dennis Wyness out there tonight."

It’s just fantastic to be in a semi-final first and foremost," continued the Hearts manager. "I have said before that teams like Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen should be challenging for trophies and pushing all the way. You never get anything easy in Fife and tonight was like that. But now we just have to knuckle down and get on with league business."

For Dunfermline manager David Hay it was another disappointing night in his short East End Park career. Having briefly managed to drag themselves into the game via Billy Mehmet’s equaliser the home side were undone by further goals from Paul Hartley and Joe Hamill. Hartley’s strike from the penalty sport had come after a debatable foul on Robbie Neilson by Richie Byrne. "The referee [Hugh Dallas] got decisions wrong at important times," Hay commented.

"It’s disappointing to go out of the cup but I can’t fault the players’ commitment," continued Hay, who lifted the CIS trophy just eight months ago when in charge of Livingston.

Taken from the Scotsman